Ph.D. in Business Administration

West Virginia University is proud to add a new chapter to the legacy of the College of Business and Economics with the addition of the Doctor of Philosophy Program in Business Administration. The program is designed to prepare students to assume faculty positions at business schools around the globe. Students are exposed to world-class faculty members who are committed to fostering the development of the students through academic research and instruction of university-level courses. Coursework will be tailored to students’ specific interests to provide depth in key areas most relevant to their planned research.

The Ph.D. Program in Business Administration is designed to provide students with enough flexibility to discover an intellectual niche while ensuring that all students acquire:

Research expertise in a particular major of study;

Practical application and teaching exposure within undergraduate business classes; and

The West Virginia University’s Doctor of Philosophy Program in Business Administration with a major in Accounting is designed to prepare qualified individuals for a career in scholarly accounting research and teaching at the university level. The doctoral program is offered to a relatively small, highly qualified, and motivated group of students who demonstrate the potential to become highly regarded scholars in the field. Doctoral students are expected to be in residence on a full-time basis throughout the duration of the program, and will work closely with faculty on a one-on-one basis.

The Finance Ph.D. program at West Virginia University seeks to maintain a small cohort of high quality doctoral students to allow for individualized attention from the faculty. The primary goal of the program is to prepare students for academic careers in research and teaching. Small classes and a faculty dedicated to a collegial environment and an open-door policy with students allows for close interaction between students and faculty, with ample opportunities to discuss ideas and to work on joint research projects. The Finance Faculty is committed to student involvement in research projects early on in their program of study. It is expected that each PhD student will present their work at several professional conferences and have at least one accepted research article published by the time they complete their PhD. Students will also have the opportunity to acquire teaching experience through teaching undergraduate finance courses during the third and fourth year of the program.

The Management Ph.D. program is a small, high quality, full-time, residential program designed to prepare qualified individuals for careers in scholarly research and teaching at the university level. The Management Department faculty is engaged in research in a wide range of topics in strategic management, organizational behavior, international business, and entrepreneurship.

The Marketing doctoral program is a full-time, residential program that seeks to prepare students to contribute to the marketing discipline though the discovery, development, and dissemination of knowledge. The goal is to strive for continuous improvement in training world-class researchers and college professors who are able to conduct independent, original academic research and teach university-level courses in their major areas of study.